Following a seven-week trial at St Albans Crown Court, Judge Andrew Bright sentenced the murderous computer expert, who refused to attend the hearing, to life with a minimum term of 34 years.

He said: “I am firmly of the view that you currently pose a real danger to women with whom you form a relationship.”

A jury found Stewart, of Baldock Road, Royston, Hertfordshire, guilty in a unanimous verdict of murder, fraud, preventing a lawful burial and three counts of perverting the course of justice.

He is likely to “end his days behind bars” due to a litany of health problems which have dogged him for decades, his defence counsel said on Wednesday.

The judge told Stewart: “Whilst we will never know whether you may have had some additional motive for killing the woman who loved you and wanted to be your wife, I am in no doubt this is a clear case of a murder done in the expectation of gain with aggravating features which make it difficult to imagine a more heinous crime.”

For months, Stewart spun a complex tale of deception about the disappearance of his bride-to-be, whom he claimed had abruptly left for “space”.

His deceit culminated with a fantastical tale of a kidnap plot by two men named Nick and Joe, whom he blamed for Ms Bailey’s death.

He first met the vulnerable widow on a Facebook group for the bereaved in 2011, showering her with affection to win his way into her trust, later her multimillion-pound estate.